Responsibility

And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the command to count the people? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father’s house; but do not let your people be plagued!”                                                              1 Chron. 21.17

David had ordered a census of the people. In so doing he had shown a lack of trust in God to bring about victory. David’s action was abhorrent to Joab, the commander of his army, and it was evil in God’s eyes.

In His displeasure, God struck Israel. Through David’s seer, Gad, God gave David the choice of three years’ famine or three months of devastation by foes or three days of pestilence by God. David elected to be punished by God rather than human hands. And so he chose the pestilence of God. He reckoned God to be merciful where humans would not be. Even so, God killed seventy thousand people in Israel. Then He sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. But, as the destruction was about to occur, God relented and stayed the angel’s hand.

David saw the threatening angel and cried out to God in defence of the people. But David was already responsible for the deaths of seventy thousand. I wonder what effect this had on him! He now admits the sin to be his and cries out on behalf of God’s people. But it is akin to securing the stable door after the horse has bolted. There was earlier opportunity for David to turn from his offensive action. Joab remonstrated against it, but David took no notice.

I pray my actions may never cause God’s wrath on the scale that David’s did. Indeed, I wish never to see God’s wrathful action against me.

Holy God,

Let me learn, please, from David’s story. I ask You to intervene in the strongest possible way if ever I am tempted to gross disobedience. And let me be responsive to You, in Jesus’ name I ask.                Amen.

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